Buckling beam probe contactors have been utilized in the testing of electrical characteristics of integrated circuits connected to pads on a semi-conductor chip wherein the probes of the probe contactor engage the pad to connect the pad to the test apparatus. Limited force application is needed to prevent damage to the pad or the chip. Additionally, since the pads are located in close proximity, thin deflectable wires functioning as buckling beams must have their contact tips accurately positioned with respect to the pads to prevent shorts between circuits.
In the past, space transformers have been required to complete the electrical circuit from the test equipment to the buckling beam probes which often results in an open circuit between the test equipment and a given beam of the probe assembly.
It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved buckling beam probe contactor which eliminates both the need for a space transformer and the possibility of opens or shorts at the probe/transformer interface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved buckling beam probe contactor which utilizes a stripper plate for insuring a rapid and accurate alignment of the individual probe wires to the test points of a given product, which protects the probe tips from mechanical damage, which reduces cost and which increases product throughput and reliability of the electrical tests utilizing the probe contactor.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved buckling beam probe contactor in which the need for extremely tight tolerances on the individual probe components is substantially reduced, and wherein the probe tips of the beams may be extended through the stripper plate, which functions to guide and protect the probe tips, to facilitate probe tip resurfacing as needed.